One Change to Make your D&D 100% More Intense

Ghostmaker · December 01, 2020, 11:20:12 AM

Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 10:42:41 AM
Quote from: Ghostmaker on November 30, 2020, 10:08:52 PM
I would roll 1d6, and reduce the appropriate score by 2 points. That's effectively a -1 to any checks involving it, which is still painful but not horrendously so.
Sorry, this is weak sauce for death. -1 is not a penalty. It does not register as statistically significant. The noise in your d20 is too high for even a -2 to register in a small number of rolls.

Are you playing 5E, or something else? I mean, I was tempted to just toss 'all rolls at disadvantage', but I was on the receiving end of that once at an AL game and it fucking sucked.

And this isn't 'death' -- it's 'you're down to 0 HP and get kicked back to positives'. You're not even MOSTLY dead.

rytrasmi · December 01, 2020, 11:34:15 AM

Fair enough. "Death" was not the best word. So revise to "0 HP", whatever that means in 5E.

My point still stands about -1 being a nothing penalty.

HappyDaze · December 01, 2020, 11:47:15 AM

Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 11:34:15 AM
Fair enough. "Death" was not the best word. So revise to "0 HP", whatever that means in 5E.

My point still stands about -1 being a nothing penalty.

You could go with -1 max hp/HD after each time a character hits 0 hp. This would recover +1 max hp/HD per long rest. For those that do "yo-yo healing" this can rapidly drop such characters' maximum hit points. This really matters as it means the instant death threshold is lowered.

Zalman · December 01, 2020, 11:56:36 AM

Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 10:36:13 AM
Q. Is there a published TTRPG mechanic/game that provides for play of earlier versions of dead characters?

Suppose during a campaign, Muffy the Mage gets axed in the head by a crazed gnome. Everyone is sad, but this is OSR and thems the breaks. Maybe later you play a one-shot set in the past where Muffy is alive and obivously younger. The other players could play younger versions of their characters or different characters entirely. Muffy is dead but can still be played. The one-shot might give rise to interesting things when the campaign is resumed, like: "We were sad when Muffy bought it, but reflecting on the past (the one-shot), she was kind of a bitch."

Cool idea. I don't know of any mechanic that explicitly addresses this (and I don't know what Microscope is), but I'd venture that if a game is sufficiently OSR it is simple enough to just regenerate the character "from scratch" -- erase any gear and change the "age" on her character sheet. Any other adjustments required by that game for a "younger version" of Muffy would ostensibly be similarly quick and easy to make.

rytrasmi · December 01, 2020, 12:08:32 PM

Quote from: Zalman on December 01, 2020, 11:56:36 AM
Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 10:36:13 AM
Q. Is there a published TTRPG mechanic/game that provides for play of earlier versions of dead characters?

Suppose during a campaign, Muffy the Mage gets axed in the head by a crazed gnome. Everyone is sad, but this is OSR and thems the breaks. Maybe later you play a one-shot set in the past where Muffy is alive and obivously younger. The other players could play younger versions of their characters or different characters entirely. Muffy is dead but can still be played. The one-shot might give rise to interesting things when the campaign is resumed, like: "We were sad when Muffy bought it, but reflecting on the past (the one-shot), she was kind of a bitch."

Cool idea. I don't know of any mechanic that explicitly addresses this (and I don't know what Microscope is), but I'd venture that if a game is sufficiently OSR it is simple enough to just regenerate the character "from scratch" -- erase any gear and change the "age" on her character sheet. Any other adjustments required by that game for a "younger version" of Muffy would ostensibly be similarly quick and easy to make.

Yeah, there's have to be some simple and quick rules to make a younger version of a character. Like you say, regenerate the character from scratch and maybe take into account their current stats somehow. Does STR, DEX, etc. change and if so, up or down?

The biggest design challenge would be there would also have to be some way to handle death in the past. Muffy can't die in the past, nor can any other other younger version of a character. So maybe the one-shot ends in failure as soon as someone hits 0 HP or something and the GM just narrates a conclusion.

Jaeger · December 01, 2020, 01:43:40 PM

Quote from: Shasarak on November 30, 2020, 08:36:50 PM
...
I have noticed in my Pathfinder games that no PC is completely safe from dropping, often it is only a crit or two away - and Pathfinder monsters get three attacks

PF2 does have some good core combat rules.

But then one has to deal with the rest of the PF system...

Ghostmaker · December 01, 2020, 01:45:16 PM

Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 11:34:15 AM
Fair enough. "Death" was not the best word. So revise to "0 HP", whatever that means in 5E.

My point still stands about -1 being a nothing penalty.

I'd need to playtest it. Bonuses in 5E are not near as deranged as they could get in 3E/PF.

I just hate the idea of PCs getting utterly fucked -- and unable to extricate themselves from the situation, just because of a bad roll at a crucial moment. The game I'm running in particular has had the wild mage sorcerer roll the 'surge every round for ten rounds' wild surge effect TWICE now in the campaign.

You mentioned earlier versions of characters. I believe there is a 'young' template in 5E you could tack on to an existing PC. I considered doing that to the sorcerer after she managed to regress herself back to age 14

Shasarak · December 01, 2020, 02:35:03 PM

Quote from: Jaeger on December 01, 2020, 01:43:40 PM
Quote from: Shasarak on November 30, 2020, 08:36:50 PM
...
I have noticed in my Pathfinder games that no PC is completely safe from dropping, often it is only a crit or two away - and Pathfinder monsters get three attacks

PF2 does have some good core combat rules.

But then one has to deal with the rest of the PF system...

I know, its like a win-win scenario.

rytrasmi · December 01, 2020, 03:21:23 PM

Quote from: Ghostmaker on December 01, 2020, 01:45:16 PM
I just hate the idea of PCs getting utterly fucked -- and unable to extricate themselves from the situation, just because of a bad roll at a crucial moment.

OK, I see your point...but, if the players are relying on one roll to carry the day, they must have made bigger mistakes to put themselves in that situation. Errors in planning and preparation maybe? Players should know very well that the dice can screw them over at a moment's notice and they need to plan accordingly. Yeah, they can plan and still get screwed over with several bad rolls, but that's very rare and I'd argue that the gods were against them and no bonus would have helped.

Quote from: Ghostmaker on December 01, 2020, 01:45:16 PM
You mentioned earlier versions of characters. I believe there is a 'young' template in 5E you could tack on to an existing PC. I considered doing that to the sorcerer after she managed to regress herself back to age 14

Is this is the PHB or would you have a link? I'd be interested to take a look and maybe borrow from there.

Ghostmaker · December 01, 2020, 07:44:52 PM

Quote from: rytrasmi on December 01, 2020, 03:21:23 PM
OK, I see your point...but, if the players are relying on one roll to carry the day, they must have made bigger mistakes to put themselves in that situation. Errors in planning and preparation maybe? Players should know very well that the dice can screw them over at a moment's notice and they need to plan accordingly. Yeah, they can plan and still get screwed over with several bad rolls, but that's very rare and I'd argue that the gods were against them and no bonus would have helped.

True enough. Though cascade failure is a thing -- sometimes things can snowball spectacularly.

Quote
Is this is the PHB or would you have a link? I'd be interested to take a look and maybe borrow from there.

It's a homebrew, it seems (I swear I thought it was official, but guess not). Link: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Young_Creature_(5e_Template)

Kyle Aaron · December 01, 2020, 08:23:17 PM

Yet another problem which is solved by playing AD&D1e.

Shasarak · December 01, 2020, 08:55:24 PM

Yep, because ADnD does not have Raise Dead, Resurrection or Reincarnation.

rytrasmi · December 01, 2020, 10:22:16 PM

Quote from: Ghostmaker on December 01, 2020, 07:44:52 PM
It's a homebrew, it seems (I swear I thought it was official, but guess not). Link: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Young_Creature_(5e_Template)

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Jaeger · December 01, 2020, 10:41:56 PM

Quote from: Shasarak on December 01, 2020, 02:35:03 PM
...
I know, its like a win-win scenario.

A PF2 fan?

Say it ain't so!

Quote from: Kyle Aaron on December 01, 2020, 08:23:17 PM
Yet another problem which is solved by playing AD&D1e.

Quote from: Shasarak on December 01, 2020, 08:55:24 PM
Yep, because ADnD does not have Raise Dead, Resurrection or Reincarnation.

Well, to quibble AD&D had hit point limits when characters stopped rolling for HP around level 10 or so.

And in AD&D Elves could not be revived with Raise dead.

This is one empirical instance in which AD&D1e is better than 5e.

Because; Fuck Elves.

Kyle Aaron · December 01, 2020, 10:55:16 PM

Quote from: Shasarak on December 01, 2020, 08:55:24 PM
Yep, because ADnD does not have Raise Dead, Resurrection or Reincarnation.

Typically these were not available in the market for tuppence next to the applecart.